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One thing that I needed while learning pastry arts was arealistic & to-the-point Chefwho could teach me technique in afun way. That's when I started my channel. I hope I can help all of you as we enjoy this art together. Bake on Cakenista!

3/28/17

​The Spring season is finally here and slowly but surely the weather is beginning to catch up with it. To celebrate I decided to come up with 5 fun Spring treats that you can easily make at home. For this tasty post I'll be showing you how to make delicious Popcorn Caramel Pops. Let me start off by saying that I've wanted to make caramel popcorn balls for some years now but making my own caramel can be a little daunting much when you're trying to make a quick snack so I decided to stick to marshmallows. In a twist of culinary fate I'd accidentally overcook my marshmallow until it reached a beautiful brown color with an amazing caramel flavor. I tasted it and my entire face lit up - it was like Christmas morning. With that said, let's get into it.

Press play to watch the full video tutorial below with all of the other fun snacks. They include bunny pudding cups, Easter egg cereal treats, fruit salad cones, and a loaded cotton candy milkshake!

Subscribe to the channel and like the video for more festive dessert ideas.

Marshmallow Caramel Pops

You'll Need:

1 1/2 c marshmallows

3 c popcorn lightly salted

2 tbsp butter

Spring Candy ( I used Spring candy corn)

1/2 c chocolate chips

3 tbsp candy melt (pink or another Spring inspired color)

Paper Straws

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add the mini marshmallows and butter. Melt down the marshmallow while stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Continue to cook the marshmallow until it reaches a light brown caramel color. Immediately remove from the heat and continue to stir.

2. ​Add in popcorn and stir to coat. Lastly add in candies and chocolate chips. Spray hands with a nonstick spray if needed and form large popcorn balls.Then stick with a paper straw and set aside.

3. Lastly, melt down the candy melt or colored chocolate and drizzle over the popcorn pops. Before the candy melt hardens use this time to add any extra candies to the outside. ​Allow to completely set for about 30 minutes and enjoy!

3/20/17

Hey Cakenista's! St. Patrick's Day is almost here and of course I had to pull something sweet, chocolaty and green out of the cake box. I bought a bottle of Kahlua and allowed that bottle to be my inspiration. We know of the many Kahlua drinks which include the frozen Kahlua mudslide drink made with milk and ice. Some of you with Southern roots may also be familiar with the Mississippi Mudslide cake. Well, in this cake, these two have crossed paths to make one special St. Paddy's Day treat (or any day treat if you ask me).

The cake recipe makes for an amazing chocolate cake that can easily turn into your 'go to'. The consistency isn't that of a traditional fluffy cake but more on the fudgy side. The Kahlua simple syrup kicks up a few notches and truly makes this cake what it is. This is the step where we infuse the Kahlua flavor into the cake which is a great compliment to the chocolaty goodness. I fill each layer with a Kahlua spiked whipped cream that of course I had to dye green, but you can also just add a little cocoa powder to turn it into a chocolate whipped cream.

I decided to make this a 'naked' cake by not covering fully in frosting - which I never feel the need to do when using complimentary colors such as brown and green. With all of that said, on to the cake we go! Check below to watch the full tutorial.

Cake:

2 C sugar

2 lg eggs

1 C brewed coffee

1/2 C cocoa powder

2 1/2 C flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 C vegetable oil

1 C buttermilk

1 tbsp vanilla

Whipped Cream:

1 pt heavy cream

1/2 c powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp Kahlua

1 tbsp instant vanilla pudding

1-2 drops green gel dye

Kahlua Simple Syrup:

1/3 C Kahlua 3

/4 C water

3/4 C sugar

Bring to a boil, allow to cool.

Ganache:

1/2 c chocolate

1/2 c cream

Bring cream to a simmer & remove from heat. Melt in chocolate. Stir until smooth.

Step 1: Cake Batter

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and eggs together until pale and fluffy.

Next add coffee, cocoa powder and baking powder to the batter, then mix. The batter will be thin. Mix in flour and baking powder until just combined. Lastly add vanilla, oil and buttermilk. Stir until just combined and split the batter between three 9" pans. Bake at 350 degrees for between 25-30 minutes or until springy to the touch.

Step 2: Whipped Cream

Begin to whip heavy cream, and add powdered sugar. Add kahlua, instant pudding, and dye until whipped to stiff peaks. Put into a piping bag with a star tip.

Make simple syrup by combining those ingredients and bringing to a boil, allow to cool and transfer into a spray bottle or bowl with a silicone brush.

Step 3: Building the Cake

Build the cake by dousing each cake layer with simple syrup. Stack each layer with a good amount of whipped cream in between as the filling. To finish the cake pipe a shell border onto the cake and drip with chocolate ganache. To finish it up I sprinkled the cake with Andies candies mint chocolate pieces, and then with a four-leaf clover topper that I made from a printed picture.

3/9/17

When I saw the trailer for the new Beauty and the Beast movie last week, I flipped out! The effects are insane and I hear there will be a few fun twists to this version. Any who, I've had a Wilton Wonder Mold pan for a while and have been waiting for the right time to use it. This is definitely the right time. So, I made a Belle doll cake. Luckily, the doll that came with the pan looked pretty close to Belle (red lips, brown hair). So I simply put half of her hair in a ponytail and got to work.

Click above to watch the video tutorial and subscribe to the channel.

You'll Need:

Cake batter

Wilton's Wonder Mold cake pan set (or an oven safe metal bowl)

Frosting (preferably yellow)

Fondant - Yellow, Blue (optional)

Knife

Step 1: Bake the Cake

For this cake I used the Wilton doll cake pan, but you can also bake your cake in a bowl. Assemble the cake pan and grease the bowl then pour in batter and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Once the cake has cooled, level the cake by cutting of the dome top, then flip the cake upside down onto a cake board. Next, slice five equal sized grooves around the cake to add shape. Cover the cake in frosting (preferably yellow).

Step 2: Decorate and Drape

Roll out yellow fondant and cut out 5 triangular pyramid shapes that fit into the grooves that you made in the cake. For the first "panel", place one fondant piece over onto the cake, this will be the center of the dress.

For the second panel, cut the second piece of fondant in half and place the bottom half onto the next spot on the cake making sure the bottom of the fondant piece is touching the cake board. Use the top half to create ruffles by carefully folding it in your hand and applying that to the cake slightly overlapping the first piece. If needed, cut out another small triangle to create anther set of ruffles and complete that panel. Repeat for the 3rd and 4th panel as well.

For the fifth panel, follow the same steps that you did for the second. This panel will also be covered in 2 layers of ruffles.

I made one last pyramid shape and cut that in half. I placed the half onto the first center panel then ruffled the bottom edge slightly with my fingers. Make sure that all of the 'panel' edges are completely blended together so that none of the cake shows underneath.

Step 3: Final Touches

Roll out a small amount of blue fondant into a thin strip and use to cover up the remaining cake board.

Roll out a small piece of yellow fondant and cut out the shape for the top of the dress. It should be similar to a heart shape with two straight sides. Place the doll pic in the designated hole on top of the cake and wrap the fondant around the doll. Shape and trim accordingly.

For sleeves, cut two small rectangles out and indent with the back of a knife to create ruffles. Apply them with water onto the shoulder area over the dolls arm to shoulder crease.

Lastly, make a thin strand of fondant and border the top of the dress to give it a clean edge. Use another strand of fondant to create a necklace and roll two small dots for earrings.